Windshield wipers I have to fit a new wiper switch to the wiper motor and need to remove the wiper arms to remove the wiper motor. How do you remove the wiper arm on a 87 Cadillac Fleetwood 4.1 litr motor, front wheel drive. Help, Fred from New Zealand

Windshield wiper motors are generally easy to replace. You need to remove the windshield wipers and take off the small grill panel above the hood and under the windshield. You should see the motor in there. It simply unbolts and unplug the electrical connector and replace it with a new one.

REMOVAL

1. Raise and support the hood.
2. Remove the windshield wiper pivot arms.
3. Remove the cowl top vent panels.

1. Disconnect the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft.

1. Remove the access cover from the dash panel.
2. Remove the mounting arm and pivot shaft retaining clip.
3. Disconnect the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft from the windshield wiper motor.

1. Remove the windshield wiper motor.

1. Disconnect the electrical connector.
2. Remove the three bolts.
3. Remove the windshield wiper motor.

INSTALLATION

1. Install the mounting arm and pivot shaft retaining clip on the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft.

1. Install the windshield wiper motor.

1. Place the windshield wiper motor in the dash panel.
2. Install the three retaining bolts.
3. Reconnect the electrical connector.

1. Reconnect the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft.

1. Press on the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft after it is aligned with the windshield wiper motor.
2. Install the access cover in the dash panel.

1. Install the cowl top vent panels.
2. Install the windshield wiper pivot arms.
3. Adjust the windshield wiper pivot arms.

This is technically for the V6 4.2L but I'm sure those Ford E250's have the same setup for windshield wiper motor. Let me know how it goes.

First are you sure that the motor is bad? Did you check the fuse, 4.8 amp circuit breaker(this goes out alot causing the wipers not to work.It is in position 15 on you fuse box), switch. If all of those are good then it is time to change the wiper motor. You will need a Phillips head screwdriver, a flat head screwdriver, a rachet and I believe a 7/16 socket. First thing you need to do is remove the wiper arms, to do this simply lift the blade away from the window. On the bottom of the wiper arm where it connects you should see a little slide with the arm pulled back use the flat head screwdriver and slide the slide over to hold up the arm. now go ahead and remove the wiper arm. Once you have removed the wiper arms not it is time to remove the trim (the trim is the vent looking piece under the wiper arms)over the wiper motor. To do this you will need you Phillips head and remove I believe 6 or head screws that are in the trim, be careful when you remove the trim as you washer hoses are attached to this. Now take you rachet and remove the 2 or 3 bolts holding the motor in, unplug the wires and remove it from the wiper track. To install just do everything in reverse
It also possible for your wiper switch or the wiper governor (module) to go bad. I would suggest you test the new motor by removing the plug and pluggin it into the new motor before taking anything apart. It might not be a bad motor.

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Original Launch X-431 DIAGUN III

The wiper motor on a Volkswagen is an electric motor connected through a drive linkage to the wiper arms. Windshield wipers are an integral feature for operating a motor vehicle safely. If your wipers are not functioning, or seem to lack the speed or power they used to have, the wiper motor should be removed and replaced immediately
.

Location

• The wiper motor on a Volkswagen is located directly underneath the plastic cowl cover. The cowl cover is located directly below the windshield.
  

Removal

• Begin by removing the wiper arms by prying off the covers at the base of the arms and removing the nuts that secure the arms to the drive shafts. Label the passenger and driver arms so they can be installed in the same positions. They are not interchangeable. Remove the rubber hood to cowl weather seal. Unscrew the plastic fasteners from the driver's side of the cowl cover, then remove this half of the cover. Remove the fasteners from the passenger's side cowl cover and remove this half of the cover. Disconnect the windshield wiper motor wiring harness by separating the plastic wiring connector. Remove the three bolts that secure the wiper motor to the vehicle's body. Pull the motor slightly away from the body, then remove the nut that connects the motor shaft to wiper linkage. Remove the motor.
  

Installation

• Place the new wiper motor into position in the cowl and reconnect it to the wiper arm linkage. Then reinstall the three retaining bolts. Reconnect the plastic wiring connector to the wiper motor wiring harness. Place the cowl covers into position below the windshield and reinstall the plastic fasteners that retain them. Reinstall the rubber hood to the cowl weather seal. Reinstall the wiper arms in the same position you removed them from, along with the wiper arm retaining nuts and lower wiper arm covers. Turn the windshield wipers on and test for proper operation. If the wiper blades slap against the bodywork surrounding the windshield, loosen the nuts that connect the wiper arms to the shafts and adjust.
  

More Read: OBD2 car diagnostic tool

Windshield Wiper Motor
Removal & Installation
To Remove:

1. Remove wiper arms.
   
2. Remove weatherstrip from cowl.
   
3. Remove two cowl vent grille panel screws.
   
4. Remove windshield nozzles and hoses.
   
5. Remove three cowl vent grille panels.
   
6. Disconnect windshield wiper motor electrical connector.
   NOTE: Do not remove crank arm from windshield wiper motor.
   
   
7. Loosen nuts that attach the drive link brackets to the crank arm.
   
8. Remove wiper motor crank arm brackets.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Remove three bolts and windshield wiper motor from vehicle.

To Install:

1. Install windshield wiper motor and three bolts.
   
   
   
   • Torque to: 62 in lbs. (7 Nm)
   
   
2. With right side linkage closest to the windshield wiper motor, install drive
   link brackets to wiper motor crank arm.
   
   
   
   • Torque nuts to: 44 in lbs. (5 Nm)
   
   
3. Connect electrical connector.
   
4. Install nozzles and windshield washer hoses to cowl vent grille.
   
5. Install three cowl vent grille panels and screws to vehicle.
   
6. Install weatherstrip to cowl.
   
7. Install wiper arms.

why do you think the motor still works if the wipers don't move? Can you hear the motor run or can you see a little movement when you turn the switch on?

What happens when you activate the washers?

go to a salvage yard that allows you to remove the parts yourself. Then you can see how the motor and linkage assembly comes out.


don't have 1983 info, but here is 1994:

Section 01-16A: Wiper and Washer System, Ranger/Explorer 1994 Ranger and Explorer Vehicles Workshop Manual
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION Windshield Wiper System, Ranger/Explorer The windshield wipers are actuated by a permanent magnet, rotary-type electric windshield wiper motor (17504) . The two windshield wiper pivot arms (17526) and windshield wiper blades (17528) are mounted on a pivot shaft, one at each side of the windshield. The windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft (17566) are connected to the motor by windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip (17531) . Ranger and Explorer vehicles are equipped with an interval wiper and washer (IWW) system featuring a lever-type turn signal and windshield wiper switch (13K359) mounted on the steering column. The IWW windshield wiper governor (17C476) uses a relay contact to control current to the windshield wiper motor . The governor electronic circuitry controls the contact to supply current to windshield wiper motor . A rear wiper/washer system is available on Explorer vehicles. The rear window wiper system consists of a windshield wiper motor mounted inside the liftgate (40010) , an articulating windshield wiper pivot arm and windshield wiper blade , a windshield wiper/washer switch (17A553) and an inline circuit breaker. The front electric windshield washer system consists of a control switch, integral with the turn signal, a windshield washer reservoir (17618) and windshield wiper motor and the necessary windshield washer hoses (17A605) , windshield washer nozzle jet and brackets (17603) and attaching parts.
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Pivot Shafts and Linkage Removal and Installation
NOTE: The left and right pivot and windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip assemblies are serviced separately.

1. Perform Steps 1 through 9 of Windshield Wiper Motor Removal as described in this section.

1. If servicing left windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip , remove left windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft and windshield wiper blade assembly.

1. Remove left windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip access cover.

1. Remove left pivot nut, lower windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip and slide it out through left access opening. For installation, follow removal procedures in reverse order. Tighten nut to 10-13 Nm (7-10 ft-lb). Make sure the clip is fully seated in the windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip . Do not try to install clip with windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip on motor crank pin.
   

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Windshield Wiper Motor Windshield wiper motor are not serviceable. If worn or damaged, the windshield wiper motor must be replaced as an assembly. Removal

1. Cycle windshield wiper blades until in straight-up position and turn ignition switch OFF.

1. Disconnect battery and wiper motor electrical connector.

1. Remove the right windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft and windshield wiper blade .

1. Disconnect the battery ground cable (14301).

1. Remove the right pivot nut and allow the windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip to drop into the cowl top outer panel .

1. Remove the linkage access cover, located on the right side of the dash panel near the windshield wiper motor.

1. Reach through the access cover opening and unsnap the wiper motor clip.

1. Push the clip away from the windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip until it clears the nib on the crack pin. Then, push the clip off the windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip.

1. Remove the windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip from windshield wiper motor crank pin.

1. Remove nut and ground strap.

1. Remove three attaching nuts from windshield wiper motor. Remove the windshield wiper motor .

Installation

1. Position the windshield wiper motor and install the three attaching screws. Tighten to 13.6-19.0 Nm (10-14 ft-lb).

1. Install nut and ground strap.

1. Connect wiper motor electrical connector.

1. Install clip completely onto right windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip. Make sure the clip is fully seated. Do not put the windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip on the motor crank pin and then try to install the clip.

1. Install the left windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip onto the wiper motor crank pin.

1. Install the right windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip onto the wiper motor crank pin. Pull the windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip onto the crank pin until it snaps into place. The clip is properly installed if the nib is protruding through the center of the clip.

1. Install the right windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft and nut. Tighten the nut to 9.5-12.5 Nm (84-110 in-lb). NOTE: When the battery has been disconnected and reconnected, some abnormal drive symptoms may occur while the powertrain control module (PCM) (12A650) relearns its adaptive strategy. The vehicle may need to be driven 10 miles or more to relearn the strategy.
   

1. Connect the battery ground cable and turn the ignition switch on. Turn turn signal and windshield wiper switch off so windshield wiper motor will park, then turn ignition switch off. Replace right windshield wiper adapter and connecting arm clip access cover.

1. Install the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft and windshield wiper blade assemblies on the pivot shafts to dimension X. Dimension X is the distance between the centerline of the blade saddle and the top edge of the cowl top outer panel grille. The value of Dimension X for each vehicle is given in the Dimension X chart in the Specifications portion of this section.

1. Test the system.

2002 Ford F-250 Windshield Wiper Motor Removal & Installation 1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position. Turn the ignition switch ON until the wiper blades are straight up, then turn the ignition switch OFF. 2. Disconnect the negative battery cable. 3. Remove the right-hand and left-hand windshield wiper arm and blade assemblies. 4. Remove the cowl top vent panels. 5. Detach the electrical hardness connector at the windshield wiper motor assembly. 6. Remove 3 wiper motor (module assembly) retaining bolts and remove the module assembly from the vehicle. 7. Remove the wiper linkage retaining bolt and remove the linkage from the wiper motor. 8. Remove 3 retaining nuts and remove the windshield wiper motor To install; 9. Place the windshield wiper motor in position and install 3 retaining nuts. Tighten to 10-12 ft. lbs. (12-17 Nm). 10. Connect the wiper linkage to the windshield wiper motor and install the retaining bolt. Tighten the bolts to 14 ft. lbs. (20 Nm). 11. Place the wiper motor (module assembly) in position and install 3 retaining bolts. Tighten the bolts to 6 ft. lbs. (9Nm). 12. Install the electrical hardness connector to the windshield wiper motor. 13. Connect the negative battery cable. 14. Allow the windshield wiper motor to cycle several times while checking for proper wiper motor operation. 15. Turn the windshield wiper motor to the OFF position to park the wiper motor in the park position. 16. Install the cowl top vent panels. 17. Install the wiper arm and blade assemblies. Install the retaining nuts and tighten to 22-29 ft. lbs. (30-40 Nm). 18. Connect the negative battery cable. 19. Check the windshield wiper motor for proper operation and the wiper arms for adjustment.

SECTION 501-16: Wipers and Washers 1999 Town Car Workshop Manual REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION Mounting Arm and Pivot Shaft Removal

1. Disconnect the battery ground cable (14301).

1. Remove the windshield wiper pivot arms (17527).
   1. Remove the nuts (one each side).
   1. Remove the windshield wiper pivot arms.

1. Remove the LH and RH cowl top vent panels.
   1. Remove the hood weatherstrip.
   1. Remove the screws.
   1. Remove the retaining clips.
      • Disconnect the LH and RH washer hoses.

1. Position the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft (17566) assembly aside.
   1. Remove the nuts.
   1. Remove the bolt.
   1. Position the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft assembly aside.

1. Remove the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft assembly.
   1. Disconnect the electrical connector.
   1. Remove the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft assembly.

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Motor —Windshield Wiper Removal

1. Remove the windshield wiper mounting arm and pivot shaft (17566) assembly; refer to Mounting Arm and Pivot Shaft .

1. Remove the windshield wiper motor (17508).
   1. Remove the output shaft bolt.
   1. Remove the bolts.
   1. Remove the windshield wiper motor.

please rate as fixya if this is what you need. Mounting Arm and Pivot Shaft —Windshield Wiper Removal
NOTE: The windshield wiper pivot arms (17526) must be in the highest position to remove them.

1. Turn the ignition switch (11572) to the on position.

1. Turn the windshield wiper (17500) on.

1. Stop the windshield wiper pivot arms at the highest position by turning the ignition switch off.

1. Remove the windshield wiper pivot arm.
   1. Remove the pivot arm nut cover.
   1. Remove the nut.
   1. Remove the windshield wiper pivot arm.

1. Raise and support the hood (16612).

1. Remove the cowl grille seal.

NOTE: The two cowl grilles overlap at the center. The LH cowl grille must be removed first.

1. Remove the LH cowl grille.
   1. Remove the screw cover.
   1. Remove the screws.
   1. Remove the clips.
   1. Remove the pin-type retainer.
   1. Remove the LH cowl grille.

1. Remove the RH cowl grille.
   1. Remove the screw cover.
   1. Remove the screws.
   1. Remove the clips.
   1. Remove the pin-type retainer.
   1. Remove the RH cowl grille.

1. Remove the mounting arm and pivot shaft.
   1. Disconnect the electrical connector.
   1. Remove the bolts.
   1. Remove the mounting arm and pivot shaft.

I just solved this problem last night with my '05 Impala, and ultimately the solution was what newton5083 stated above.  Yet, it may also be this (I found it online somewhere):
You have bent or broken the "park tab" on the windshield wiper motor bracket. The correct way to fix this is to remove the wiper arms, wiper linkage and wiper motor from the wiper motor bracket, and install a new bracket.
I just bent the tab back into place a couple times for our daughters 2005 Impala but it kept getting bent down again when they didn't take the time to make sure the wipers were not frozen to the windshield, or tried running the wipers to remove heavy snow on the windshield. So yesterday I fabricated a small piece of metal and bolted that to the bracket in the same place the tab stop was.
If someone wants to access this bracket and tab-
1. Use a ½ inch or 13mm socket & ratchet or wrench to remove nuts on wiper arms.
2. They may make a special tool to remove the arms, I used a screwdriver and hammer to tap bottom of the arm to wedge them apart from the spindle.
3. Two small button-looking clips hold the drivers side cowl cover in place under the windshield. These are two-piece clips, pry up the center, than the outer piece.
4. Unclip the washer hose from cowl cover, than pull out plastic cover.
5. There is a smaller plastic cover with on plastic button head holding that cover in place. Gently pry under that clip to remove that cover.
6. Now you can see the wiper trans and bracket. You should see a small tab on that bracket that looks pushed down and bent or possible a square small hole with some torn off metal where the tab broke off.
7. Remove small plastic cover over the wiper transmission and you can see a small spring-loaded arm underneath the wiper transmission assembly.
8. You need to find something to pry that tab back up so when the wipers are running that spring loaded little arm just snaps past the tab running clockwise. It's when you shut off the wipers that the wiper transmission assembly reverses rotation counter clockwise and the small spring loaded arm underneath hits that tab stop, than the wipers will go all the way down and shut off as they should.
Once that tab stop gets bent out of the way the little spring loaded arm has nothing to stop the wiper transmission assembly so it keeps traveling counter clockwise until some other stop shuts the wipers off straight up on the windshield.

There is a revised bracket part # which is supposed to be more durable, GM part #12368639. Here is a copy of the TSB which points out this problem:
Bulletin No.: 05-08-43-003A
Date: March 10, 2005
TECHNICAL
Subject:
Windshield Wipers Park in Up Position (Replace Windshield Wiper Motor Bracket)
Models:
2005 Chevrolet Impala, Monte Carlo
Supercede:
This bulletin is being revised to make a correction to the Parts Information. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 05-08-43-003 (Section 08-Body and Accessories).

Condition
Some customers may comment that the windshield wipers park in the out wipe (vertical) position.
Cause
This condition may be caused by a bent park tab on the windshield wiper motor bracket.

Correction
To correct this condition, replace the wiper motor bracket. It will be necessary to transfer the following parts listed below to the new bracket.
^ Wiper transmission
^ Wiper motor crank arm
^ Wiper motor
1. Remove the windshield wiper motor drive system module.
2. Remove the windshield wiper transmission from the windshield wiper motor bracket.
3. Remove the wiper motor crank arm from the windshield wiper motor.
4. Remove the windshield wiper motor from the bracket.
5. Install the windshield wiper motor to the new bracket.
6. Install the wiper motor crank arm to the windshield wiper motor.
7. Install the windshield wiper transmission to the windshield wiper motor bracket.
8. Install the windshield wiper motor drive system module.

A TSB is not a recall, if vehicle is still under warranty the dealer should be repaired for free. If not, you'll have to pay for the repairs.